


Delivery

by patriciatepes



Category: Vampire Hunter D (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Bounty Hunters, D being D, Gen, Left Hand being Left Hand, Monsters, Sad moments, Taking Care of Someone, baby cuteness, dangerous moments, last wish of a dying woman, mentions of sexual situations, travelling
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-15
Updated: 2019-08-15
Packaged: 2020-09-01 14:57:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 15,860
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20259961
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/patriciatepes/pseuds/patriciatepes
Summary: Vampire Hunter D has his most difficult bounty yet...taking care of a six month old child across the Frontier!





	1. Chapter One

**Author's Note:**

> Art by [Twisted_Slinky](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Twisted_Slinky)  
Disclaimer: I don't own anything you recognize.
> 
> Jeez... so, ah... this was a little fic I began back in... oooh.... ahhh.... ummm... 2009... Ouch. And the second chapter--this was all over on fanfiction.net--was published almost exactly a year later. Well, this year, I decided I wanted to make a choice on some of my very, very old WIPs--on whether I was finishing them or tossing them. WIPBigBang came around, and I toyed around with the idea of either finishing this story, or another one. This one, as you can see, eventually won out. This whole fic arose out of the desire to see D spend more time with kids, and it does draw some from the light novels--as they are translated into English; I don't know Japanese--but not enough to alienate anyone who hasn't read them. Hope you all enjoy!

Only someone with a most desperate cause would flee out into the Frontier at night. Indeed, this woman seemed just so desperate. She ran as fast as possible—careful of her footing—hugging a bundle close to her chest as if it were the most precious thing in the world. This was a simple woman. Her cotton dress, darned in many places but especially at the knees, blew around her in the small evening breeze, showing the shape of her stout legs. She was not a big woman at the waist, but her stomach still carried the weight given to her by bearing a child. She was middle-aged, gray wisps in her brown hair currently flying free of its hastily pulled-back bun.

She tripped, but caught herself quickly, gasping out in fear and shock. She could not fall. She must not hurt her precious bundle of cottony pale blankets. She glanced worriedly behind looking for any signs of those who had been chasing her—those she had counted as friends not so long ago. Seeing none, but thinking that she heard voices, she quickened her pace towards the town exit.

Condemned for something she had never thought was evil, this practitioner of midwifery felt tears slide down her cheeks. She could see the end of the town she had thought she could make her home come into view. She was at the fastest she felt it was safe for her to move. After all, her bundle…

She saw the figures at the town's limits before she reached them. Behind her, she heard those that were chasing her coming closer. She stopped and released a sound somewhere between a gasp and a dry sob. She turned so that the two groups of pursuers closing in on her—the figures at the edge of town and those coming up behind her—were on her left and right sides. She was backing away as they formed a semicircle in front of her. She felt herself bump up against something and looked back at it. An empty water trough for its adjoining tavern's visitors to hitch their horses to blocked her path. Throwing skyward a quick prayer, she placed her bundle inside the trough, shushing it once.

When she looked back, the figures—their faces now clearly visible—were upon her. Men, all citizens of the town and all members of the town's vigilante squad, made up the two groups that had merged to capture her.

"Please, leave me alone! I'll leave, I swear!" she pleaded.

The burliest of the men stepped forward. His hair was hacked short and the same color of the toothpick he was currently chewing on. He grinned.

"Sorry, Mrs. Dawes. You see, it's this town's policy to kill any and all witches that crosses our path. We see it as a charity to the other villages," he drawled with an old country accent hanging all over his words.

Suddenly, unfurled from his beefy hand was a whip. It fell right to the dusty road on which they stood with a dull thud and a small cloud of dirt. It was soon followed by those of other men. The woman—Mrs. Dawes—began to cry. The men laughed.

"And, once we're done killin' you, we'll find that baby of yours and put it out of its misery. Stop a witch before it starts."

"Yeah," quipped one of the other men in the squad, "we saw you run out with the kid. Whatcha do with it?"

Mrs. Dawes set her jaw, her tears stopping instantly.

"Leave my baby out of this! Don't you touch her!" she raged at them.

Their laughter turned to menacing growls. Dawes thanked God that her child had not made a noise yet. They raised their hands, about to strike at her with the whips. She cast her eyes about quickly, looking for someone—anyone—that could help her. And in the distance, a black shape darker than the surrounding night was coming slowly into town.

"Help me, please!" she shouted as the vigilante squad's whips came down.

It was an odd sensation to feel your own blood spray from your body. She knew that they had severed several of her major arteries. She was dead, and she knew it. Her body hit the dusty ground and her wounds stung with the dirt that was sticking to them. She heard slicing noises seconds after and heard several bodies hit the ground around her. Slowly, painfully, she forced herself onto her back, looking up.

Kneeling over her was the most beautiful man she had ever seen. His long black hair fell slightly over his shoulder as he looked down at her. His face was expressionless as he placed his left hand upon her forehead.

"You're dying," the man said simply, sounding as emotionless as he looked.

She tried to smile. If she had to die, at least she got to see something beautiful. Then, with a stab to her heart, she thought of her child. She raised her hand weakly, pointing towards the trough.

"Abigail…" she managed to croak around the slashes on her neck.

"Who's Abigail?" the beautiful man asked her.

"My…daugh…ter. In…trough…Please…take…her…to…Michael…in…Korin…th," she struggled.

She was fading and fast, and it hurt to talk. But this was the most important thing in her life. She had to keep her Abby safe. By the look of this man, he was most likely a vampire hunter. Only a hunter could take Abby to Mrs. Dawes's husband across the Frontier in Korinth.

"He'll," she struggled, knowing her time was upon her. But she had to make it worth this hunter's while, "…pay."

With a final, rasping gasp, she felt her eyes close against the world…and against life…

#

D stood, casting an eye over to the trough. His dhampire senses told him that another life was indeed lying inside it. He approached it and gazed down at the sleeping form of an infant girl, no older than six months at least, sleeping peacefully.

"So," a voice from D's left hand said, with a dark laugh, "what do you know about kids, D?"


	2. Chapter Two

**Fifteen Minutes Earlier…**

He was pale and unearthly beautiful. His ebony black hair and traveler's cloak were caught in the gentle evening breeze—the only thing gentle on the Frontier at night—causing them to fan out about his equally dark form. His cyborg stallion seemed to come from the night itself as it slowly trotted towards the desolate Frontier town before this pale rider. In fact, the rider seemed as if someone had desired to make death beautiful, resulting in this being.

His wide-brimmed hat—also black—was pulled down over his eyes, and this rider—whose aura screamed nothing but "death" and "unnatural"—looked as if he were sleeping. His body swayed in time with the slow gait of his horse, and it seemed as if nothing in the entire world could disturb him. That was until, upon nearing the town, he heard the calls and shrieks of several people. A hoarse voice from somewhere near the vicinity of his left hand huffed.

"Whaddya suppose that is?" his Left Hand asked.

Silence was the appendage's only response. Sighing, he tried again.

"D, do you think that's this town's Vigilante Committee? That could spell trouble for us!" Left Hand protested. "Maybe we ought to go around, instead of through."

But the rider known as D made no acknowledgment of his Left Hand's statement. So, horse and rider continued into the small, Frontier town.

D came upon the source of the commotion just in time to see several brutish men slash a woman to death. As her body hit the ground, blood pouring out of the wounds left by the men's weapons, D dismounted from his horse. The cyborg was well-trained enough to instinctually move out of harm's way. The men whirled on D, seeing him for what he was—a dhampire—immediately. They raised their weapons to strike him, but D was too fast for them. In a flash of black and silver, D had drawn his weapon and sliced the lot of them down. It was then, and only then, did D notice that the woman's life had yet to expire.

And, moments later, he had been contracted to carry the now dead woman's infant child across the Frontier. Once he had taken the child from the trough, his Left Hand scoffed again.

"Seriously, D. You know less about kids than you do about women's emotions!" the parasite said with a laugh.

D gave no response, instead moving, while juggling the child easily in the nook of one arm, to hitch his horse to the hitching post. With quick, even steps, D made his way inside the town's nearby inn. The man at the inn's front desk looked up at him with sleepy eyes at first. However, the middle aged, brown haired man quickly snapped to attention once he caught sight of the vampire hunter. D slid several gold coins onto the rough, wooden countertop in front of the man.

"One room for a night, and all the necessary supplies for a child this age for one month," D said, his voice as even as his walk, as he gently showed the man the child in his arms.

The man blinked his squinty, black eyes and nodded.

"Any-anything else, sir?" he asked, his voice shaky.

"I need several field pack refills. That's it," D said.

The man nodded quickly as he handed D his room key. He then directed him that the room was upstairs, and two doors on the right. D gave the man no further acknowledgement as he made his way into his room.

The key slid easily into its lock as D twisted the dirty gold doorknob and pushed his way inside. The room was nothing grand. A simple, double bed with plain linens lay up against the right wall. A desk rested against the opposite wall directly across from the bed, and a single light hung in the center of the room. D crossed the room to its single window and drew its thin curtains closed. He left the light in the center of the room untouched. Just as he was about to take a seat at the desk's chair, a knock came at his room's door.

He answered it to find the man from downstairs, an apologetic, nervous grin on his face.

"Sorry to disturb you, but… I found that we had this bassinet downstairs, and I thought you could make use of it tonight," he said, wheeling a white baby's bassinet into view.

D rolled it within the room with his free arm. Once it was safely behind him, he slipped the man another gold coin.

"Thank you," the dhampire said just before shutting the door.

He turned and placed the baby—Abigail—safely within the bassinet. Abigail had not yet awoken from the night's ordeals. She continued to sleep just as peacefully as she might have in the presence of her mother. D finally took his seat at the desk, and removed his hat, resting it on the footboard of the bed.

"Supplies for a month?" his Left Hand cackled. "That child will probably burn right through those! Or it'll just weigh us down."

"Then I'll get more," D replied in his smooth, monotone voice.

Left Hand scoffed. "Okay, D, seriously. What the hell do you think you're doing? A child? We can't, _cannot_, carry a six month old kid across the Frontier with us. It's just not gonna work."

"This was the job I was contracted to do," D replied.

"Oh, don't give me that crap. No money's been exchanged yet. You can still bow out. You know what I think? I think you ought to leave this baby on some nice woman's doorstep, and be done with it."

At this, D stood, moving to look down upon the sleeping infant. Left Hand chuckled under his breath.

"I know you, dhampire. You're considering it. You know it's the right thing to do. You don't know jack crap about how to take care of a child," he said pompously.

In her sleep, Abigail yawned and wiggled her little body. Then, her face positioned where it looked as if she was staring right at D—although her eyes were still closed and the child was still quite asleep—she smiled. It was a tiny little thing, pulling her thin lips barely upward… but it was undeniably a smile. At that, D moved away from the bassinet and sat down upon the bed, moving his body so that his back was leaning up against the headboard.

"We'll leave in the morning for the town of Korinth," he said, closing his eyes.

"Damn adorable babies," Left Hand muttered to himself. To D, he added, "I hope you know what you're getting into."


	3. Chapter Three

Morning came, as it always did, but little of the light peeked through the closed curtains of the dhampire's room. Rather, the half-breed was awakened by the growing cries of the infant girl in the bassinet. He didn't even need his preternatural senses to deduce that her diaper was in need of changing. D moved to the door of his room, ready to head out and find the innkeeper, to see if he had procured the requested items, but was stopped right outside his door. The items, prepackaged, were piled just outside the door. A small scrap of paper with a note hurriedly scrawled upon it lay atop the topmost package. D bent, retrieving the paper, and read the note.

"Eliza was a dear woman."

It wasn't signed, but there could only have been one author. D crumpled it in his fist and set about making quick work of moving the items inside. Though no emotion showed on his pale, youthful face, he was quite surprised. He would have never guessed that a single child would need so much. Only one package worth was for D's purposes. The rest—four other packages of a decent size—were all filled with items for the infant, Abigail. Muffled off and on by the parcels, D's Left Hand chuckled.

"You're in _way_ over your head, dhampire."

"Quiet," D ordered, finding on sound alone the diapers.

They were cloth and sturdy, pins attached in strategic places. D turned, hovering over Abigail's wailing form, hesitant. Left Hand laughed again.

"Really? You've killed all manner of creatures, D, and changing one little kid's diaper is what's gonna give you pause?"

D barely pursed his lips, which was the biggest sign of annoyance Left Hand had managed to goad out of him in years. The carbuncle considered that a great triumph. Meanwhile, baby Abigail wailed away. Sighing, D retrieved a rag from the room's washbasin, wetted it, and moved to again stand over the child. He moved quickly but gently, removing the soiled diaper—which was more of a liquid mess, than a solid one—cleaning the child, and pinning on a fresh diaper. It was all over in a matter of moments, with D tossing the soiled cloth and diaper into a nearby bin.

"You're gonna have to quadruple what you have in diapers if you're going to throw away every single one. You know how much these things go, right?"

"There will be better opportunities for washing them once we head out. This was simply the best option for now," D said as he redressed a now quiet Abigail.

"Hmm. Actual, sound logic. First I've heard in about twenty-four hours. Next question. How, pray tell, do you intend to load up your horse with only one hand? You know you can't leave these things alone."

Another, barely audible sigh. "I am aware _children_ can't be left alone. But there is always someone wanting work on the Frontier. It's an easy enough solution."

"And your _other_ supplies?"

"In the next town over."

"Hmm. I suppose a town with a vigilante committee like the one this one has wouldn't carry a dhampire's supplies anyway."

D lifted the child, holding her securely under her diapered bottom as she seemed unwilling to lay against his shoulder. Instead, she began to look about the room curiously, seemingly taking in her new and unusual surroundings. The dhampire grabbed the child's blanket, draping it over her shoulders, and went downstairs. He paused at the innkeeper's desk, where the man from the night before was dozing. He plopped down a small pile of gold coins, the noise jarring the innkeeper awake.

"Um, sir, you've already paid," he noted, eyes wide at the gold.

"I require assistance loading my horse."

"Oh, yessir, right away. But one is more than enou—"

"For the child's mother. Put her to proper rest."

The innkeeper's eyes widened further. He nodded once, solemn. "Yes, sir."

The day outside was already scorching and dusty. D had expected no less, since this was one of the more decimated sections of the Frontier. In moments, the innkeeper and a younger man was carrying down D's items and loading them onto the cyborg horse. The job took less than ten minutes, and D—still holding young Abigail—was putting his foot in the stirrup.

"A moment!" the younger man said, running out of the inn. With a slight bow, he held up a harness of some kind.

D took it, eyeing the man.

"To aid in the carrying of the child. You wear it, and she rides in it. It can be worn in the front or the back. I… I can assist with clasping it."

The dhampire responded with the barest of nods, adding, "On the front."

The item was bulky more in size than in weight, but Abigail fit easily inside of it, giggling as D mounted the horse. He tucked the girl's blanket into the harness with her, ensuring that it wouldn't fly away once they were off. He thanked the young man, flicked the reins, and was off at a soft trot. The citizens of the town were beginning to mill about, going about their daily tasks. He drew no shortage of stares from them. After all, it was an unusual sight, to say the least. D, the dhampire hunter clad from head to toe in black, eyes and face hidden from the glaring rays of the unforgiving sun from the wide brim of his hat, while a cheery, chubby-faced child giggled and clapped as they gained speed at the town's exit. D was cautious not to go into the full gallop that his horse was designed for, for fear that it would be too much for Abigail—who, even miles outside of the town, was still enjoying the ride. It cost him some time but seeing as the next settlement was not so far away—just the expanse of a few large plots of forcibly terraformed farming land, which was impressive for this area. It was a touch past midday when he arrived in the town of Ludwig, slowing his gallop back to a trot, much for Abigail's grunted disappointment. Left Hand chuckled.

"Kid likes to go fast."

D fought down a smirk. If he didn't know any better, the appendage sounded almost charmed by this fact. The cyborg horse's hooves kicked up a small cloud of dust as they entered the main dirt street of this other, smaller Frontier town. The general store was easily identifiable, as it was the second busiest building. The first, D assumed, was the tavern, judging by the cacophony of music and rowdiness—even at this time of day—leaking from its wooden, swinging hinge doors. The horse was slowed down to the slowest gait was it capable of, short of just stopping. Eyes quickly turned and then averted to and from the hunter. There were many who did double-takes surely questioning whether they had or had not in fact sent a child in his hands. Was this fearsome, beautiful creature really wearing a harness carrying a child? A couple of the younger folks in the town even rubbed their eyes at the sight.

D stared stoically ahead, even while baby Abby cooed, babbled, and laughed at the onlookers. Left Hand sighed.

"Kid's already ruining your image," he mumbled.

D tightened his left hand around the horse's reins. They continued on, making a clear headway to the general store. He stopped just outside the building, dismounting—carefully—and tying his horse to the hitching post. He strode past the women and young men who stood outside the store, gawking. The door opened with the soft tinkling of a bell, and he was greeting by a loud laugh.

"It's not e'vry day y'see that. A dhampire hunter with a baby strapped to him… and she dudn't appear to be lunch. Don't tell me…"

The clerk—a middle-aged man with dark hair that was receding slowly, a thick, busy mustache, and a booming voice that carried easily about the store—grinned.

"Don't tell me the babe's a client!"

"That's none of your concern," he said as he slid a bag that jingled with coins across the counter. "I was always told to reward a kind soul."

The clerk went suddenly serious. He picked up the pouch of gold, weighed it in his hands, before turning away. After a few moments of unseen movements, he turned back with the same pouch… only this time, it didn't jingle. He slid it back across to the dhampire.

"And I was taught to pay it forward. Pleasure."

D answered with the briefest of nods. Turning, he left the shop. He had the pouch—which now contained a couple of months' worth of blood capsules—tucked away safely in a saddlebag and mounted the horse.

"Can we finally get this going? The sooner you unhaul this kid, the better. Mark my words," Left hand grumbled.

D acted as if his appendage had said nothing. He spurred the horse into a soft gait while Abigail's coos slowly turned into little fussy noises. Left Hand sighed.

"No tellin' what's wrong with this kid now," he grumbled.

D put his attention on the road ahead, sparing no stares back at the gaping townsfolk. Abigail whined a bit, but otherwise did nothing to suggest a larger notion of discomfort. So D continued. He resolved, quietly and to himself, to stop once in a safe place outside of town to check on the needs of the infant. They would be gone in mere moments, then he could put his horse back onto a faster gait.

Then, no sooner had the dhampire thought this, a woman—one forcibly ejected from the tavern he was passing by—landed in front of his horse. D jerked the reins, causing an abrupt stop. Abigail gave a small cry, obviously startled by the motion.

"It's all right," D said slowly, placing a single hand over the part of the harness that covered the child's midsection.

Abigail calmed back to little fussy noises, and Left Hand let out a sigh of relief that the child had not outright screamed. There would have been no way they would have exited the town peaceably had that happened. Meanwhile, in front of the cyborg animal, the woman stood, brushing off her brown leather pants. Her bright red hair shined in the midafternoon sun, despite now having a decent layer of dust worked into it. It was cut just to her shoulders and hung in loose curls about her heart-shaped face. A smattering of freckles danced across her cheeks and the bridge of her nose. The young woman would have looked like an adorable doll… had her face not been contorted into a look of rage.

"Fuck right the hell off, you fuckin' bastards! Go back to screwing your sisters, then!" she shouted in the direction of the tavern's swinging doors.

Then, blinking, she looked up at the looming snout of D's horse. She lifted a small hand and waved.

"My bad. Rough day," she said.

D said nothing. Instead, he clicked his tongue and directed his horse around the woman. Her eyes widened, briefly, when she caught sight of D's downturned face, but she seemed to recover herself. She replaced the look with one of haughtiness. She walked a few paces, putting herself even with he back flanks of the horse.

"I apologized. You're not even gonna accept it? What is it with today and rude bastards?"

Again, the dhampire didn't answer. The woman, seemingly and correctly put off, stopped trying to walk along the horse. Then, from behind both her and D, a shout.

"There's the bitch!"

"Uh-oh," the woman muttered, jogging to catch back up with the dhampire.

"Hey, so, ha, help a lady out? See, I'm in a spot of trouble. Lost a few bucks in there, not much, but the men over there offered to let me sleep with them to pay off my debt. Only, I'm no whore. I properly told them where to stick it. May have thrown some punches. And now, looks like they want to take it out of my hide… and not in the way previously offered. So, please?"

D spared a glance behind him—a rare gift from him. There were six men, all red with anger, pouring out into the street.

"Please help me!" the woman whispered frantically.

"Unless you contract my services, it's none of my affair," D answered evenly.

"Hey! I guess we know why she wouldn't sleep off her debt. Who wants normal men when you can spread your legs for a vampire's bastard child?"

The woman had stopped trying, once again, to catch D. D still moved ahead with determination. Left Hand muttered, "This is no good, dhampire."

No sooner had the sentence ended a shot rang out, narrowly missing D's right shoulder. He pulled his horse to a stop. Abigail began to cry. Without so much as a sigh, he dismounted. The woman's eyes lit up, until he turned. She saw the child, and she arched a brow in confusion. In one fluid motion, D undid the harness. He caught Abigail deftly with his right hand before the harness could completely fall away. He handed the infant off to the woman.

"Do not leave," he warned, the words like deadly ice.

The woman held Abigail under her arms while the baby squalled. The woman, for what it was worth, looked like she might cry as well. D, meanwhile, approached the smirking men.

"I'm not with this woman. This is your only warning to walk away," he said, quietly though the words carried easily to the six men.

"Go fuck yourself," the first man, and apparently the leader, snapped.

D unsheathed his sword, the silver of it gleaming in the daylight. The men roared and charged. D went for their weapons first, slicing guns and whips in half as if he were swatting flies. He paused, looking at the men as they tripped over themselves, trying to recover from such a quick loss of weaponry. They all roared, a couple of them even foaming at the mouth in rage and turned. They rushed D as one. There was a flash of silver, a blink of an eye, and then all six were down and D was sheathing his sword. One of the men groaned and stilled.

D approached the woman, who was still holding a fussy Abigail. She blinked at D.

"T-thanks," she said.

D held out his right hand. "The child."

"Oh, right, yeah. Please, take it."

She all but threw Abigail back at D. Then, she gave a little wave.

"The names Katherine. Kat, for short. Thanks again… and good luck with the kid."

She turned and ran off. D reaffixed the harness around himself and got back on his horse. Left Hand sighed, and if he had had a body of his own, would have probably been shaking his head.

"Let's get the hell out of here."

D couldn't agree more.


	4. Chapter Four

D and his cargo made it about three hours outside of the town before Abigail's fussy nature turning into full wails of discomfort and tiny rage. The Frontier was not designed for easy rest stops, but D managed to find a copse of trees that seemed safe enough. He could smell no obvious creatures within, and he heard nothing. He tied this horse to a low-hanging branch of the tree, carrying the crying child inside the shaded covering.

"This kid is gonna get us killed! All that screaming is gonna attract all manner of creatures!" Left Hand growled.

D undid the harness holding Abigail, removing the girl from it. He turned her to face him as the child hiccupped mid-screech. She was red in the face with big, fat tears rolling down her cheeks. Slowly, gradually, D began to bounce her. He had seen some mothers doing this to soothe their raging children. For Abigail, it seemed to only take her slightly aback. She regained her former anger quickly enough, though, a fresh scream ripping forth.

"Some kids like songs," Left Hand offered.

D stared, ceasing the bouncing movement. He knew very few songs. And he had never sung. He hummed a tuneless note experimentally, like the noise one might make while searching for a misplaced item. Abigail's cries got a touch less ferocious, but only just.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

He could almost feel his Left Hand wanting to laugh. It was a small kindness that the carbuncle only sighed. Abigail continued to sob while D was feeling increasingly at a loss. He had done many things in his life, and he had killed quite a varied array of enemies. However, this deceptively simple appearance of trying to decipher why this child was crying endlessly left his stumped. He stared at her, as if she was going to spontaneously finish learning the language and be able to disclose the reason for her discomfort. After a long moment of this—too long—Left Hand groaned.

"We haven't fed the kid yet, you know. They eat pretty often too."

If had been in his nature to blush, D would have. It was such an elementary problem when concerning children, and it had honestly never occurred to him. However, his face remained as impassive as always. Still holding the crying child in one hand, he retrieved all the makings of a bottle. He lined them up in front of himself—a bottle, freshly purified water, and the formula power capsule. On context clues alone, he would assume to mix the capsule in the water, much like he did for his blood capsule. But… he knew that infants were… fragile. D swallowed his pride.

"How do I make this?" he asked.

A wheezing laugh was his immediate answer. D started to close his left fist, but the carbuncle stopped him.

"All right, all right! I'm sorry. Look, the water's purified right? No chemicals or nothing in it?"

D nodded.

"Great. Hard part's over. Now, drop the capsule in, put the lid on, slide your thumb over the hole in the nipple, and shake to mix. Should be done in a minute or two. Easy-peasy."

D did as instructed, indeed finding it to be a simple procedure. He hated that he had ever doubted the method. But even as he did the bottle up, Left Hand complained.

"Can't even make a simple bottle. How in the Hell do you intend to cross the damn Frontier with this kid? I'm still voting for dropping this kid off to some nice lady in the next town over. Get a job with some guarantees."

With the bottle mixed, D held Abigail in a reclined position in the nook of his left arm, placing the tip of the nipple of the bottle to the girl's lips. Abigail sucked at it experimentally, seemingly satisfied, only to stop and wail again. D let out a low sigh. He offered the child the bottle again. Again, she began to suck at it, only to eventually reject it for more tears.

"I don't understand," the dhampire said.

Abigail whined and cried, hiccupping with the effort now.

"You don't even get adult humans. What made you think a kid was going to be simpler?" Left Hand muttered.

"Have you tried her diaper?" said a voice near the opening of the grove of trees.

D whirled, ready to drop the bottle and reach for his sword. But the newcomer raised her hands in surrender. It was the woman from the town, the one who had asked D for help in taking out the men from the tavern. Kat.

"I changed her this morning."

Nevertheless, he allowed himself a cursory sniff of the air. He had been generally ignoring any scents, knowing that children produced a multitude of them. But, there, on the breeze, and definitely coming from the child, was the scent of urine. He blinked at the infant.

"Here's the deal," Kat said, slowly lowering her hands. "I need to get away from here… the farther the better. But I'm not… skilled enough to make the journey alone. So I propose a trade. I'll travel with you, taking care of the kid—diapers, bottles, like that—and you keep me safe."

D arched a brow at her. "You seemed eager to unhand Abigail back into my care earlier… despite my nature."

Kat crossed her arms, nose in the air. "Look, sure, I'm not exactly the mothering type. But my brother, back in my hometown, has a couple of squirts. I used to watch them while him and his wife worked in the day. As for handing her back to a dhampire? Nobody I've ever met carries the thing they're about to eat in a safety harness. Bag, maybe, but not built for safety. Want me to prove it? Hand her over."

She entered into the clearing more fully, reaching down and taking the child before D could make any verbal response. She made her way over to the nearest pack and made quick work of finding the diapers. Gently, she laid Abigail down on the ground and undid the soiled diaper. Moments later, she was wiping the girl, fixing a fresh diaper on her bottom, and storing the soiled one away in a bag (for later cleansing). Then, she snatched the bottle out of D's hands and offered it to Abigail, who took it with no fight this time.

"This, what I've done here? This is the only freebie I offer. So, what do you say? My protection in exchange for babysitting services?" Kat asked, indicating Abigail.

D stared at her and the contented, quiet child. "You'll need a horse."

Kat smiled and let out a soft whistle. From someplace behind the grove, a horse whinnied. "That work?"

D nodded, and, under his breath, Left Hand groaned.


	5. Chapter Five

"I'm just saying," Left Hand grumbled under his breath for the millionth time in two days, "there's a _reason_ we usually get paid up front. There are so many things that could go wrong."

So far, though, things were smoother than even D could have hoped for. Kat and her horse were doing a fine time keeping pace with D's mount—riding at almost top speeds, as it seemed that Abigail found this enjoyable. Kat was even carrying the child in her harness for this latest stretch of Frontier. D could hear the little girl giggling as the wind whipped her in the face.

"What if we travel all this way, and he doesn't have the coin? Or what if he doesn't even want the freakin' kid? Seriously, D, this is the most reckless thing you've ever done. And that's saying something!" Left Hand growled.

Kat pushed her horse until she and D were neck-in-neck. She laughed, which sounded a little breathless in the breeze—as if she were running instead of the horse.

"So, what? Are you usually a loner so you can practice your ventriloquism? Afraid people'll think you're crazy? Or is it so you can justify talking to yourself?"

D squeezed his left hand shut against the reins. With barely a turn, he asked, his voice well-heard despite not raising it, "How is Abigail?"

Almost on cue, the child's giggles of delight switched into moans, groans, and whines of discomfort. Kat rolled her eyes.

"I think this damn kid needs another diaper change. Jeez. I knew they went a lot, but I never knew it was anything like this. I feel like I've switched hundreds of these nappies."

"Isn't that the main complaint about children?" Left Hand murmured against the rein.

Kat frowned. "That voice thing is weird, you know."

D didn't answer, instead continuing his pace along the Frontier's dusty landscape. Kat's horse began to lose its gain on D's, and she spurred him on with her heel. Now riding just behind D's shoulder, Kat shouted, "Hey! It's so entirely your turn to change this kid!"

"The reason I agreed to let you accompany me was that you would aid with the childcare."

Again, his voice didn't raise. Kat grimaced. "I said 'help.' Not do it all. So it's your damn turn."

D let out something like a sigh, slowing his horse a fraction so that they were back to riding side by side. He reached out with his left hand, quick to undo the harness from Kat. He caught Abigail before gravity could even begin to think to make the child fall and tucked her in front of himself. His black stallion regained its speed, and Kat was left staring, puzzled, at the dhampire.

"Hey! I said she needed a diaper change, not that I needed a break carrying her! She's gonna start screaming and wailing if we don't stop for one soon!"

"Catch," D said over his shoulder.

A once-white bundle of cloth soared over the dhampire's shoulder, and Kat was forced to catch it in both hands. Amazingly, and disgustingly, it was Abigail's soiled diaper. Kat made a gagging face and put it in the sack with the other soiled diapers—they had yet to encounter an uncontaminated source of water in which to clean the diapers.

"You disposed of it?" D asked as he slowed his ride once more.

"No, was holding it because I enjoy the wafting scent of piss in my nose. Yes, of course I put it in the bag with the others."

D didn't acknowledge her. Instead, he slipped Abigail out of her harness and handed it over to Kat, who waited for the infant to follow. Instead, the child nestled into D's arms. If Kat wasn't mistaken, she was asleep in minutes.

"Are you sure I shouldn't take her back?" she asked.

"She's sleeping. Seems best not to wake her."

Kat shrugged, and the two of them continued their ride. Neither spoke for several hours, while Abigail dozed deeply in D's arms. The child seemed unperturbed by their fast gait or the uneven landscape. It was only when the first change to their scenery came upon them that they were forced to slow.

A gorge, like a garish scar on the face of the planet, stretched out before them as far as the eye could see—even eyes like that of D. In front of them stretched a single wooden plank bridge that, frankly, looked like it had seen better days. The panels of wood were worn down to be quite smooth, there was a fairly decent gap between each plank, and the rope holding it all together looked frayed and ready to snap at a moment's notice. Kat shook her head at the sight of it, casting her gaze left and right as if she might magically notice another way across.

"The Gorge of the Divide," Left Hand said. "It's not naturally occurring it. In fact, it was the result of a great battle here between the Nobles and the OSB. This thing is old… maybe even older than you, D."

Kat spared only a single, confused glance at the dhampire, before turning back to face the gash in the earth.

"I've heard of this place. Rumor has it that a great, ugly monster hides in its abyss. My brother used to tell me the stories when we were younger."

As if in response, D slowly urged his stallion forward.

"Whoa, whoa, wait!" Kat said, balking. "You can't be serious. You can't actually mean to cross that rickety thing?"

Without turning, D answered, "Our destination is Korinth. It's across the gorge."

"But there's got to be a better bridge, a safer one. I'm sure my brother told me that there were numerous bridges along it!"

"There is. But it will add at least a week to our journey. We'll cross here, but feel free to part ways with me."

Kat sighed, already shrugging defeat. She made one last stab at reasoning with him.

"If we go find another bridge, we might not get eaten…"

D nudged his horse on. Kat groaned, nudging hers forward as well following the dhampire. Their gait was slow and purposeful. The bridge, for what it was worth, seemed to be stronger than first appearance. It was steadily holding the two cyborg horses, D, Kat, and the child—who was still sleeping. The gorge was wide, and their movements were slow, with each hoofbeat on the wood seeming to reverberate into the world around them. A thin sheen of sweat was beading up on Kat's brow and upper lip, but she dare not take her hands from the reins of her horse to wipe at it.

Then, without so much as a word, halfway across the bridge, D came to a stop. Moving like shadowed molasses, he dismounted his horse and gently smacked the animal on its rear flank. The stallion moved to the other side with deliberate steps, as if this was an afore-agreed upon signal of some kind. Moving without a sound, D made his way to Kat and lifted up the sleeping Abigail to her.

"Take her," he instructed, and Kat did so on instinct.

D moved back to the center of the bridge, his hand reaching back for the hilt of his still-sheathed sword. His fingertips were just barely grazing it.

"When I say so, spur your horse and gallop as fast as you possible can get it to go to the other side of the gorge. Do you understand?"

Kat shook her head, clutching Abigail, who was groggily awakening from her nap.

"D, what's going on? What are you doing?" she whispered.

D didn't answer. A heavy, pregnant moment of silence passed. Then, D spared Kat a steel-like gaze over his shoulder.

"Now," he ordered.

Kat's feet followed the order before her brain did. She dug her heels into the flanks of her steed, and the horse tore across the bridge. Across the gorge, D's stallion waited patiently, as if this behavior from his rider was an everyday occurrence. Kat was seconds away from stopping her horses gallop, about to whirl and insist D tell her what the hell he was thinking, when a deafeningly loud roar rose up from the gorge. Kat dug her heels in harder.

There was a _whoosh_ of air as the horse made it safely back onto solid land. She whirled the beast around just in time to see a large, black monstrous thing baring down upon the dhampire. D jumped and dodged its attempts to swallow him in its blood-colored maw, his silver sword gleaming in the dying sun. Abigail, still in Kat's arms, was now fully awake and staring in horrified awe at the creature before them. She let out an ear-splitting scream, following it up with cries and more screaming.

Suddenly, D wasn't so interesting anymore.

The creature whirled, spotted Kat and Abigail, and pulled itself lightning fast along the ropes of the bridge with two of its black, misshaped arms. Kat's horse reared up, beginning to panic and back away while Abigail screamed and screamed. Kat's heart slammed in her chest, and briefly, a horrible thought played through her mind.

The creature was drawn to the infant's cries. If she simply tossed the child from her mount… perhaps she would have the time to escape. Abigail held in one arm; Kat pulled back. The creature opened its mouth to roar at them… but it was cut short. Kat and Abigail both looked up in time to see a gleaming blade swipe cleanly through the thing's neck. The body fell straight down, while the head rolled off into the gorge.

Kat pulled Abigail back close to her body and heaved a breath. She dismounted, approaching the dhampire as he deftly wiped his blade.

"D that was—"

But her sentence was cut short by the tip of the same silver blade held tightly to her throat.

"I will make this clear," he said, his voice colder and harder than she would have ever dreamed of hearing it. "If you put the safety of yourself over the safety of this child ever again, then I will be the only monster you will need to fear. Understood?"

Kat gulped, feeling the blade touch her skin briefly as she did. She chanced a small nod. D sheathed the sword.

"Give me Abigail," he ordered, and Kat was quick to oblige.

Without another word, D mounted his stead, and Kat quickly did the same. They continued their journey as if nothing had even transpired at the gorge.


	6. Chapter Six

Not that their trip had been one of warmth and companionship thus far, but if it was at all possible, D's attitude toward Kat got even colder. He drove his cyborg stallion as hard as he dared, which meant that her mare was hard pressed to keep up, and he had yet to allow her to have anything to do with Abigail since the incident by the bridge. Kat had offered up numerous apologies, but they seemed to have fallen on deaf ears. D did not so much as turn in her direction when she spoke, and he had yet to offer any kind of verbal reply.

This was angering Kat in a way that was definitely noticeable. She was huffy and short tempered when addressing the dhampire. She always answered his silences with little growls. Regardless, she knew what life on the Frontier measured up to: you were either useful, or you were dead. She kept offering her help with Abigail, given her agreement with D, but the dhampire denied her at every turn. In fact, it was only in those instances that he replied to her out loud. His answers were short and to the point. Curt "no's" or "I have it." It had been a whole twenty-four hours since the monster at the bridge, and Kat's flawed instinct had put her into this predicament with her only protector against the horrors of the Frontier.

The dhampire and the woman came into view of a small town on the edge of an oasis, and as Abigail was becoming fussy, D steered his stallion into the town's main strip. There were stares, to be sure, as they continued through the small place. D seemed unaffected by these stares, and Kat supposed that, given his parentage, he was probably used to it all. But it made her skin crawl, as the eyes that followed her were cold and judging. Kat knew better than most what the hatred of the population of this world was worth and what it could do to you. In fact, if she had to bet, it was what had even caused baby Abigail to lose her mother—as D had only shared that Abigail's mother was no longer living. They came to a stop in front of the local general store. A mother with her child scurried by as D, Abigail still cradled in his arm, dismounted. Kat followed suit.

"D, what are we doing here?" she asked quietly, getting as close to the dhampire as she dared.

"Certain parts of my supply have gotten lower. I… miscalculated. I have to get more. I recommend you resupply as well."

Out of nowhere, that weird voice that the dhampire liked to do from time to time—the one that was deeper and gruffer—laughed, adding, "Chick is probably worried we're gonna ditch her the first chance we get. Got a right to be though, doesn't she?"

Kat blinked at D as he balled his left hand into a tight fist. He spared her the slightest of glances over his shoulder.

"Resupply while you have the chance."

Kat sighed and shrugged. "I don't have the funds to buy supplies."

To this, the dhampire said nothing, walking away toward the door of the store. Kat stood on tiptoe as he ascended the small set of stairs.

"I could hold Abigail for you, while you get your stuff?"

He disappeared into the store, and Kat visibly deflated, leaning into the side of her mare. The horse whinnied quietly, and she petted her mane absently.

"He won't even trust me to hold the kid while we wait. God, I've really screwed up on this one, haven't I?" she murmured.

Kat shook her head. If D left her here, she was sunk. She had nothing but her horse and a few meager possessions in her saddlebags. She ran her fingers into her hair, tugging lightly at her roots. She was going out of her mind. Why? Why had she done it? Had she really been willing to feed the little urchin to the monster to save her own skin? And if yes, then what did that say about her? What if… what if it had been her niece or nephew? Kat ran a hand down her face, groaning. It was then, and only then, that she noticed.

There were eyes on her. A group of men standing in front of a building across the dusty road was staring at her… and doing nothing to hide that fact. Kat straightened, alarms ringing in her head. She had just left a similar situation behind in the town where she had met up with D. She knew trouble when she saw it. She let her red hair fall a bit in her face, using it as a curtain to study the men in return. They were big, burly, and looked like their deepest thoughts were about whether or not they were angry, hungry, or horny at that moment. It was a basic recipe for a vigilante squad that was run more like a brute squad. Inwardly, Kat groaned again.

The faintest whisper of fabric on the breeze caused her to turn in time to see D descending the steps from the general store. He still carried Abigail, nestled in the crook of his left arm, while in his right hand was a small sack that seemed to take up his entire palm. Kat puzzled over what could have been so important to have come in such a small package. But then, she remembered… D was a dhampire. There was one such thing—should a dhampire choose to use it—that came in small, nondescript pouches. Blood capsules. D brushed past Kat without a word—no surprise there—and went straight to his saddlebags to place the pouch of capsules inside. The glares from the supposed vigilante squad across the road grew more intense, and now Kat could hear just the brief whispers of their muttering on the breeze. They stood, kicking their chairs and stools to the side, and began to stalk across the road. Kat's heart seized in her chest. She rushed to D's side, pressing closer to him than she had ever dared to before. He glared at her, and despite how terrifying this beautiful youth was when he narrowed a gaze at you, she ignored him.

"We've got to go, D. Now. Before it's too—"

"Hey!" cried one of the brutish men.

Too late. Kat whirled, falling into step directly behind D. The leader, a thick-necked buffoon with a tuft of dark hair atop his balloon-like head, spat into the dust at their feet. He lifted a meaty hand and pointed toward Abigail.

"Where the hell'd you get that baby, dhampire?" he asked.

Before D could even part his lips to answer, another man—this one as scrawny as the leader was thick, with a long mane of scraggily blond hair—jeered, "He probably stole it!"

The other two dark haired men—who fell perfectly in between the leader and blondie in size—nodded in agreement. Kat could feel a cold sweat breaking across her brow. This wasn't going to end well. She cleared her throat, taking a step forward with her hands held plaintively before her.

"I think there's just been a misunderstanding," she said, chuckling out her sentence.

The leader whirled on her, snarling. "I'll not hear anything from this dhampire's whore. My name is Rinaldo, and as leader of the Vigilante Squad of Berth, I'm taking his kid back."

Kat whirled to D.

"Give me Abby," she whispered quickly.

The dhampire eyed her, doubtful. Kat reached out for the child. "This is going south fast. She could get hurt if you insist on fighting them while hold her. Let me hold her. Then… then you won't have to worry."

The squad was already reaching for their weapons. D gave the barest of nods, and Kat scooped Abigail into her arms and moved quickly out of the way. D freed his silver blade from its sheath as the men charged. D's blade arced across the men, and half of their weapons were sliced into two.

"Stand down," D said in a monotone. "This is your last chance."

But these men were the kind govern by pride and public opinion. They would not allow themselves to be made to look foolish and weak by an outsider, a dhampire no less. They rushed at D again, this time with only their fists—a couple of them also had small knifes. Another flash of silver, and all four of the men lay in the dirt, balled up and moaning. D sheathed his weapon and turned, ready to address Kat. Only, she was not to be seen.

"Oh boy," Left Hand muttered.

"The problem has been solved," D said.

From around the corner of the general store, Kat emerged with Abigail clutched tightly to her breast. She let loose a sigh as she saw the wailing men on the ground. She smiled up at D.

"That was quick."

"It usually is. Let's go," D answered, mounting his steed.

"Okay, but… um… do you want Abigail back?"

D pulled his horse around, facing back toward the way they had entered town. He glanced over his shoulder at her.

"Perhaps it would do Abigail well to be held by you. For a little while."

Kat couldn't help it. Those words had felt like the highest praise she had ever received. Carefully, with Abigail still in her arms, she mounted her own horse, and they set off toward Korinth once more.


	7. Chapter Seven

Now that it seemed that D had forgiven her, Kat took this opportunity to talk to the dhampire, as much as possible. What was largely a silent journey—save for the occasional question of plans and the cooing of Abigail—was no longer. They trotted along at a brisk pace—to give the cybernetics in their horses a tiny break—and Kat was using this chance of riding shoulder to shoulder with D to the fullest.

"Where are you from, originally? Any place I know?" she asked.

D didn't respond. Abigail, in Kat's arms still, giggled. So the journey was not silent… on her end. She drummed her fingers on the horn of her saddle and tried again.

"Okay, is D short for something?"

Again, nothing.

"Are the capsules enough to sustain you?"

He pulled a few paces ahead of her. Kat spurred her horse, just a touch, to catch up. She shook her head, her red hair cascading over her shoulders and tickling the top of Abigail's head—who, again, laughed.

"Okay. All right. I see where that might have crossed a line. I mean, I don't want someone commenting on my eating habits either. How about this though? What brought you, a talented bounty hunter, to take a job from a dead woman to take her child across the Frontier? Whoever you're taking her to may not want her. They might not have the money. I'm guessing it's the father, though."

That strange voice that D sometimes did harrumphed. That was quickly followed by, "That's what I want to know!"

Kat didn't fail to notice D's left hand tightening on the reins of his horse. He did that quite a bit, and she wondered what had led him to have such a pronounced physical tick. Not to mention that weird voice. Was it entirely possible that the dhampire she was travelling with that that… oh, what had it been called? She remembered reading about an old mental disorder from the time before the Nobility. Multiple Personalities, she thought. It would explain the weird voice. Well, better than any and all explanations that Kat had come up with in her head—including the craziest one where a separate being actually _lived_ in D's left hand.

D, as per the usual, didn't answer. They rode on a few more paces, with Kat resigning herself to live in mystery and quiet during this little journey. That was, until, D glanced over at her—barely a whisper of a moment.

"There's not much innocence left in this world. Children are just that. Innocent. The innocent are to be protected."

Kat was shocked. First by the fact that he had deigned to answer, and second by sharing his belief. She blinked, trying to order her thoughts enough to make a coherent reply. Abigail bounced lightly in her arms, clapping her hands and generally making her own entertainment as some children are wont to do.

"Children are innocent, yes, but the Frontier itself isn't," Kat said slowly, really digging deep to continue the conversation. "It's a big, raging monster that tends to turn everyone raised in it to selfish bastards only out for themselves and no one else. I feel that if this wasn't the case, there wouldn't be so many corrupted vigilante squads."

Her thoughts fluttered back to the town D had found her in, and the town they had just left. Both run by a group of men only because they were big bullies. And that wasn't to mention that most the time, the men in those groups tended to view women as their rewards and servants rather than people. It hard to picture any of them as once having been innocent children. D's voice sliced right through her thoughts.

"Perhaps. But, I also think that, maybe, if kindness is shown to a child early enough in life, that some of it will remain in the adult."

Kat narrowed her eyes at the dhampire, who was speaking without staring at her, his wide-brimmed hat pulled low over his eyes.

"Kindness is nothing but weakness. Everybody wants something, and kindness is not worth the trade, in most people's eyes."

"In some cases, yes, maybe kindness is a weakness. But…"

At this he paused and looked up, toward the sky, just shy of staring right into the sun that Kat vaguely wondered caused him extra pain, due to his heritage. His eyes remaining turned up, as if speaking to the heavens, he continued.

"Long ago, before the Nobility took power, kindness and forgiveness were things to which the human race aspired to have within itself. Humans preached about helping their fellow being, giving when one could give to those who didn't have. The Nobility erased all of that when they took over, in the aftermath of all the destruction that mutated this land. They turned this world into one living exercise of survival of the fittest. But the human race will overcome it. It must. And it starts with the children."

Kat stared at him, wide-eyed. The profile of his face was silhouetted against the sun, his raven hair cascading down his traveler's cloak. Her heart raced, and she now understood why all the people who saw them assumed she must be enslaved to him… it would be so easy to do. But D had never made any move toward her, and he had certainly not harmed Abigail in any way either. This was truly his belief, and he lived by it. It was a wonderful thought that made Kat feel warm and safe, even in the dusty landscape that the hooves of their horses kicked up as they rode along.

"D…" Kat whispered. She cleared her voice, and, speaking a touch louder, she added, "That's a wonderful ideal. I wish more people lived by such."

D pulled his eyes away from the sky, now staring determinedly ahead once more. "I have thought so for a very long time. It was something that I was able to witness… once."

Despite his youthful appearance, Kat saw it now. D was much, much older than she would have ever guessed. And, she would also wager that he had experienced much heartache. She had seen the longing look in his eye as he spoke to the sky. She knew what that look was.

"Was it… was it your mother? Who taught you to believe like this? Because if she did… you were very lucky."

At this, D went rigid. That weird voice huffed.

"Sore subject," it muttered.

D cracked his reins just a bit and rode on ahead by several paces. Kat frowned as Abigail began to nestle down into her arms, yawning widely. She knew better than to ride to catch up with the dhampire. So, instead, she stayed satisfied with riding with him, thinking long and hard about the thoughts he had just shared with her… and what kind of man D really was.


	8. Chapter Eight

Night had come, as it always does. But, nighttime was never more terrifying than when one was travelling the Frontier. D and his companions had managed to find a small forest—a blessed safe haven. Upon inspection, done by the dhampire himself, it was pronounced a safe place to make camp. As the last rays of the sun fell behind the horizon, dying the world an auspicious red, Kat finished erecting her tent and enacting all its bio-shields. It was full dark by the time they got a fire going, their horses bedding down for the night. D leaned up against the flanks of his, his long legs stretched gracefully out before him, crossed at the ankle. He was the image of relaxation until one looked him in the face. His eyes were as hard as ever, and Kat had no trouble believing that his preternatural senses caught every single sound on the breeze. She fed Abigail, and herself, before finally settling down on the ground by their fire.

She bounced the baby playfully, cooing at her. It wasn't long before Kat was stifling yawns while Abigail laughed at her. The baby reached up for Kat's flaming locks, snatching one and giving it a hard yank. Kat muttered an "ouch," and Abigail spewed a fountain of baby-gibberish at her that seemed to be filled with annoyance. In the distance, a night bird squawked loudly, causing Kat to jump and pull Abigail in closer.

"I hate camping. I always prefer an inn. I'm just so nervous, out in the open like this," she said.

"The nearest inn will probably be found at our destination. We've got two days at least before we arrive. Best to rest now," D replied.

Abigail fussed, yanking at more of Kat's hair, and spewing more hurried words of baby annoyance. Kat sighed, but D simply reached toward the child.

"I will hold her," he said.

Kat didn't argue. She had been rather adamant about holding on to Abigail as much as possible, ever since the incident in the town. But, as fussy as the child was being, she welcomed the break. However, as soon as the child was in the dhampire's arms, she quieted, content to simply babble softly to herself while leaning against his arm. Kat fought to urge to roll her eyes, instead succumbing to another yawn.

"Rest," D said.

Kat blinked at him. "Are you sure? I mean… what about you or Abby?"

"It'll be fine. I'll sit with her. Rest. Sleep," D answered.

Kat stared at the dhampire, but after a moment, only shrugged. She murmured a quiet, "good night," before crawling into her tent.

#

It took only moments, but D could eventually hear the sounds of her softly snoring from within. He shifted Abigail so that the child sat in his lap, staring up at him. A lock of ebony hair had fallen over D's shoulder and Abigail reached for it, just narrowly missing it.

"Okay," Left Hand said with a sigh, "I've been dying to ask you this. That stuff you said earlier… about kids being innocent and needing to be protected at all costs…. Do you really believe that, dhampire? I mean, really, D?"

D gave Abigail an experimental bounce, like one he had seen Kat give her. She giggled, almost as an afterthought, as she made another—failed—attempt to capture the half-blood's hair. Her little mouth opened in a wide yawn of her own as she babbled out a little more nonsense. D stared at her as if she were a tiny wonder.

"Yes," he answered. "I do believe it. It's the only way this world will heal."

Abigail smiled up at the dhampire, and his usually stoic expression softened, just a touch. Left Hand sighed.

"Well, that explains a little bit of this insanity. Can't say I'm _too_ surprised. I've noticed that you seem to have a soft spot for the little urchins. But… D…"

Here, Left Hand paused, and the dhampire had a feeling he knew what the carbuncle was going to say next. Abigail took another swing and a miss at D's hair.

"D… we don't know why Abigail's mother was across the Frontier from her husband. What if he doesn't want the kid? What do we do then?"

"We'll deal with that problem if or when it arises."

He could feel Left Hand's scrutiny, even though the palm was turned away. There was a moment of silence between the hunter and his appendage, which was only filled by the aggravated grunting of the infant when she continually failed to secure D's hair for what had to be the tenth time. Finally, Left Hand gasped.

"D, don't tell me! D… I'm being serious… Don't tell me you're considering keeping the kid if that happens?"

D didn't answer. Left Hand waited. Abigail squawked when she missed again. Left Hand sputtered in a hurry to get his words out.

"Y-you can't! You're crazy! You're a hunter and dhampire. You're a danger to this kid, in more ways than one. You've seen what's happened so far, and that's just a normal week for you. You can't suddenly adopt a daughter."

"I didn't say I was considering it," D replied finally. "Should that happen, we'll find the girl a proper home."

Left Hand harrumphed. "That's not what your silence sounded like."

In one final, desperate gambit, Abigail shot forward and successfully caught a lock of D's hair. But, instead of yanking it, she smiled brightly and simply held it. She yawned and nestled herself against the dhampire, his hair still tightly held in her hand—like a beloved stuffed animal. Her eyes fluttered once, twice, before finally closing as sleep overtook her.

Still, D was mesmerized by the small smile on her peaceful face.


	9. Chapter Nine

Kat was briefly awoken in the middle of the night by D passing her Abigail. The babe was asleep, so Kat nestled the child into her chest and fell promptly back to sleep. She was awoken next by the death screech of some unnameable creatures. She shot up, grateful that Abigail had rolled away from her a bit so that the sudden movement didn't wake her too. Slowly, tentatively, she unzipped her tent.

Across the now dead fire stood D, flicking the blood from his blade, sheathing it. Kat unzipped the opening fully, but instead of exiting, sat cross-legged in its threshold. She crossed her arms and gazed up at the half-blood.

"You know, my brother did teach me how to take care of myself. I can fight."

"It's of greater importance that you keep Abigail safe," D answered.

Without another word, he began to load up his part of the supplies. With a deep sigh, Kat began to do the same, the last of which being the bedding inside the tent, since Abby was still asleep. Then, just as she was about to lift the child and mount her horse, she awoke. Their progress halted as Kat changed her diaper and readied a bottle. However, before she settled in to feed Abigail, she mounted the horse. At least a feeding could be done while in motion.

Despite Kat's previous faux pas of mentioning D's mother, the ride still had its usual congeniality to it. Kat felt as if she could freely and openly speak with the dhampire, and the two passed Abigail back and forth as necessary. They still had two days' worth of time before reaching Kornith, which meant one more night of camping. They were unable to find another oasis in the Frontier, but D managed to find a small cave system that he cleared himself of the little rat-like monsters that had infested it.

It was almost starting to feel homey, sitting around a fire with the dhampire. It put Kat in mind of her brother, and his family, back in her home village. She noted to herself how D had tactfully refrained from asking anything probing whenever she mentioned her brother, and she had been grateful. Of course, it could be that he just didn't care about her origins. She chose to believe it was the former, though, for her own ego's sake.

After Abigail's last nightly feeding, Kat put her down to sleep in her own sleeping roll, while she remained awake, seated with D. D, for his part, seemed a bit… uneasy. She had never really seen the dhampire so close to be uncomposed, and she almost worried that he could sense some sort of monster lurking in the dark, waiting for them to fall blissfully unaware into sleep. But that was when she remembered.

"D… it's okay. I mean, if I could sleep right this instant, I would. But… I'm not exactly tired. I know that dhampires… I know that you have to feed. Please don't hold off on my account."

D eyed her for a moment before finally reaching into his pack. He withdrew a small mug, some clean water, and a single, blood-red capsule. He heated the water over the fire in a small pot before pouring it into the mug and dropping the capsule in. He breathed deeply of the steam rising from within, like Kat had done with the last cup of coffee she had consumed. He then took a deep draw from the mug, his body visibly relaxing as he did so. Kat hugged her knees to her chest, wondering if D had been close to losing control. It didn't seem like something even in the realm of possibility for him, personally, but one never knew. He took another drink from the mug, and Kat realized that she was staring.

"Sorry," she murmured. "It's not every day that a human gets to sit this close to a blood drinker and live to tell the tale."

D pulled the mug away from his lips, not a drop showing on them, and held it low. "Does it bother you?"

His tone was even, no emotion, as usual. Kat shook her head.

"You know, I thought it would, but… after the events of the last week or so… it really doesn't. Not when it comes to you."

He nodded once to acknowledge her words. A long silence followed with D continuing to sip at his meal. Kat busied herself with staring into the flames of their small campfire, mesmerized by their flicker and dance. It was comforting, in its own way, to be able to be so out in the open like this but be unafraid of a random creature attacking. She couldn't remember the last time she had felt so secure.

Well, actually, she could, but that had been a long, long time ago.

"What are your plans, after we deliver Abigail?" D asked without preamble.

Kat blinked, surprised that he initiated the conversation. She cleared her throat and shrugged. He arched a thin brow at her.

"Will you go back to your home village?"

Kat shook her head. "No. I can't. I would love to, but… that's not an option."

D didn't press the issue further. But, after a beat of silence, Kat felt the explanation tumbling out of her.

"That village I found you in? That was the second one I'd managed to get to since my home village. You see, my parents… they died when I was young. Maybe around fourteen. My brother practically raised me, and somehow still found time to fall in love, get married, and have kids. His wife and my niece and nephews had no problem with me. We were all one big, happy family. But then… my brother got hurt. A piece of farm equipment broke and fell on his legs. It was a clean break, easy to set and heal, but… it would take time. My sister-in-law, the kids, and I didn't know anything about farming, save for watering the plants and feeding the animals. We didn't know anything about crop rotation or proper harvesting. Nothing. We were gonna lose everything."

She paused here, daring to glance up at the dhampire. D watch her impassively, simply waiting for her to continue. After a breath, she did.

"I've always been good with numbers and patterns. So, I took that talent to the local tavern. I counted the cards. I won a lot of money. I kept winning money. I won enough money to sustain us during the time it would take my brother to heal. But I was arrogant. I was full of myself finally being able to provide for my brother instead of the other way around. I didn't think to lose a few times, to just make myself look lucky. Our village's local vigilante squad caught on. Normally, those guys never gave anyone trouble—they weren't as bad as the brutes I've encountered out and about. But… if you broke a rule… their law was like iron. My brother knew they would come for me. So, he gave me our best horse, as much money as we could spare, and as many provisions as we could spare, and sent me off. Told me to get somewhere safe and make a life for myself. That village I met you in? I got drunk. I was missing my brother. That day was his birthday. I forgot to lose again. However, those men wanted me to pay them back not with the money, but with my body. That wasn't going to fly. So… yeah. That's my story. That's why I can't go home."

Kat was back to staring into the flames. After a silence that seemed to last forever, D finally spoke up.

"You did what you had to, to save your family. And you did it in a way where harm was minimal. That's both understandable, and to be commended."

Kat, once more, felt as if she had received high praise from the half-blood. She smiled brightly.

"Thanks. It's… good to have someone who gets it. You know, the Frontier is no picnic. Well, I guess you _do_ know. What I mean is, it feels like all my life I've either had someone coddling me and taking care of me, or I've had to fight off the advances of both men and monsters. I've never felt as if I've had… a path, you know? A direction in which to take my life. I envied my brother, a little, you know. He found the love of his life, and truly does love his farm. I wish…. I wish I had something that sure in my life."

D took one last sip from his mug, setting it aside. "You'll find your path someday, perhaps. That feeling, however, is not unique to you."

Some might have taken such a statement, made without any emotional inflection, harshly. Instead, Kat just smiled.

"Nice to know I'm not alone. Which is what we all fear, I guess. Say, D? Um… after we drop this kid off… do you think… do you think I could follow _your _path? At least, until I figure out what mine is?"

"No," the dhampire said.

Kat felt as if she had been slapped. She had truly believed, for just a second, that she and D had been bonding. That they had finally begun to understand one another. She bristled, her lips parting to throw angry words at the man across from her, when she stopped. She met his eyes, for the first time all night, and noted that they looked a little… sad.

"My path is not one to be followed by any being but me. I… I would not wish my path upon even the worst of my enemies."

At this, he motioned the tent behind Kat. "Sleep," he said. "We should reach Korinth tomorrow."

Kat nodded and did just that. She and Abigail slept soundly through the night, finding no trouble in the morning. After feeding and changing the child, both D and Kat mounted their respective horses and were off. D had been right. After a few hours of hard riding, they did come upon Korinth. However, it was not as expected.

Giant concrete walls rose into the sky, and human sentinels were posted all about, including two at the main gate. Kat pursed her lips.

"This doesn't look good," she murmured.

One of the guards at the gate, weapon in hand, slowly walked out toward where they had stopped, several feet back from the entrance.

"Took the words right outta my mouth," that weird voice said.

The guard stopped a foot from them, weapon slightly raised.

"This is the mining town of Korinth. State your business, or depart," he ordered.

Kat was beginning to feel like she might have understood why Abigail's mother might have left now.


	10. Chapter Ten

D was unfazed by this show of force. Still as a statue upon his stallion, he addressed the man before him.

"I am D. I was contracted to bring this child, Abigail, here to her father. It was her mother's dying wish. Now, allow me to fulfill my contract. Stand aside."

A ballsy move, Kat thought, her eyes darting back and forth between the man with the gun and the vampire hunter, still stoically seated upon his mount. The man eyed D and sucked his teeth once. He raised his weapon, just a hair, and Kat pulled Abigail closer to her.

"You're a dhampire," the man stated.

It was rare that the men chosen for vigilante committees were both strong _and_ intelligent. Kat found herself wishing that that would change at least once, in all these villages. D inclined his head in the barest of nods.

"Yes. Now, will you stand aside and grant my group passage?"

The man eyed Kat and Abigail a bit before sneering at D.

"How do I know that what you're telling me is the truth, hunter? How do I know that you haven't just stolen this child as an excuse to enter our town—the safest town on the Frontier, by the way—and feed to your heart's content?"

Kat rolled her eyes. "Look, I'm no dhampire. I'll vouch for his story. We just want to bring this girl to her father."

The man laughed and scoffed at her. "Like I could believe you any more than him? You could just be his chosen whore."

She moved to urge her horse forward, ready to kick the man right in his stupid face, when D held up a hand to stop her. She growled under her breath, Abigail fussed in her arms, and the man chuckled.

"That's right. Keep your woman under control, _hunter_."

"This child is the daughter of Eliza Dawes. Does that name sound familiar to you?" D asked, ultimately ignoring him.

"Can't say as it does. But, if she was foolish enough to leave, then she got what she deserved."

Many would have missed it; the move was so subtle. But Kat, having traveled all this way with D, caught it immediately. The way his left hand slowly tightened around the reins of his horse was the only telltale sign of any growing annoyance within him. The dhampire cast his eyes toward the stone walls of the town. The other members of the vigilante squad, apparently growing impatient with the way things were progressing, had abandoned their posts. Kat had a feeling that things were going to go south, and fast.

"This wall… it's meant to keep people in, not trouble out, isn't it?" D asked.

The man's grip on his gun tightened as his fellows approached. He narrowed his beady eyes on D.

"None of your damn business. We make this town safe!"

"At what cost?" Kat all but whispered.

"Leave, or face the consequences, dhampire," the man yelled.

Now all the other members of the committee raised their weapons. D shook his head. Kat pulled her horse so that it backed up behind D's.

"I only wish to reunite this child with her father. Stand aside and no one will be harmed."

The committee all laughed at that, and they all cocked their guns. Kat made a small groan under her breath. All the weapons were pointed at D. In one moment, there was nothing but this standoff, no one moved. In the next, D had leapt off his horse, his sword pulled free, and he was descending on the men. Shots were fired, all of them toward D and none toward Kat and Abigail—which she suspected was a deliberate choice made by D, to draw their fire. Streaks of silver danced out in arcs, and guns fell to the ground in pieces. This was followed by a string of hateful words directed at the dhampire, and then the sound of someone choking on their own blood. Kat had Abigail turned away from the carnage, hiding the girl's face in her chest.

The last man fell, and D wiped his blade clean. He sheathed his sword and mounted his horse, spurring it to a slow walk forward. Kat spurred hers to follow. They arrived at the gates—huge, well-made wooden ones. D dismounted once more, approached them, and seemed to grip them as best his could. Then, with barely a grunt—maybe only a single grunt—he worked one side of them open. Kat's eyes doubled as she watched him work, realizing that she had really been taking his strength for granted this entire trip.

"I'd hate to see what you could do to a man with your bare hands," she commented.

D, as usual, didn't reply. He urged his horse inside. Once they were both inside the town, Kat was surprised to see that they met no more resistance. In fact, save for a really old man waiting just a few feet away from the door, everyone else moved as if nothing had occurred just outside their town's gates. D approached the old man, who grinned up at him, his wrinkles deepening as he did so.

"I'm Mayor Hillside," the old-timer said by way of greeting. "I must apologize for those men's behavior. As you can see, I'm no spring chicken. Used to be, I could keep my vigilante committees in line. But… not so. Not so. That particular group decided to run this town with violence. But, ah, enough of that. Tell me, what brings you to Korinth, hunter?"

D motioned to Abigail, who Kat gently turned about to face the old mayor. "I've come to bring Abigail Dawes to her father. Her mother, Eliza, contracted me to do so with her dying breath. Could you direct us to him?"

The old man scratched at the thin, white hair atop his head with his left hand, while he leaned heavily on the cane in his right. He shook his head.

"Memory's not what it used to be either. Our town's grown quite a bit since my first term as mayor. Used to be, I knew everyone. But, once we found all that ore in the mountain over yonder, our town just sort of blew up. Land of opportunity, we called it. So, no… can't say I recall the name. But, feel free to ask. Try our general store. Lady Bri is pretty good about knowing who's who around here. And, again, thank you, for taking care of that rotten committee."

The mayor tipped an imaginary hat at them, turned, and hobbled off. Kat stared at D.

"That was weird. You're sure she said Korinth, right?"

D spared her only a glance before urging his horse forward. Kat, as always, followed. They received a few stares as they went down main street, but none that lingered for too long. The people of this town seemed… cowed. Which, given the committee that was apparently running things, wasn't too much of a surprise. The group made their way to the general store with no trouble, both dismounting from their horses. Kat hugged Abigail close as they made their way inside the shadowed building.

"Well, as I live and breathe! How in the hell did a dhampire get inside Korinth?" came a bright, too-loud voice from the back end of the store.

A woman, dressed in plain slacks and a plain white tunic—but whose bright blonde hair was curled and pulled expertly atop her head, and with make-up looked like someone who was ready to put on a show in a tavern at any moment—emerged from the back, a curious smile on her pink-painted lips.

"We're looking for the husband of Eliza Dawes," D said without preamble. "We're here to return his daughter to him."

The woman's eyes turned so large that it looked like they were going to pop out of her head. She stared, open-mouthed, at Kat and Abigail for a long, long moment, during which Kat was starting to feel like she was under some kind of examination. She jerked a thumb back toward the town's entrance.

"Also, D kind of took care of that vigilante committee that you all had," she explained.

The woman blinked, turning her stare to D. "Well, Lord be. I'm Lady Bri and let me shake your hand. Those ruffians were passing 'laws' every other day that weren't good for nobody but them."

She stuck a hand out, her nails a shade of pink to match her lips, and sharp enough to count as weapons. D made no move to grasp her hand, instead repeating, "Eliza Dawes's husband?"

Lady Bri clucked her tongue sadly, retracting her hand and shaking her head. Kat was amazed to see that none of her tight curls moved as she did this.

"Bad news on that front, I'm afraid. I told dear Eliza not to leave. I told her that Korinth may be bad, but other places were worse. But her and Michael… they dreamed of a better life than what this town could offer. She's dead, then, I take it?"

D nodded. Bri clucked her tongue again.

"Poor babe's an orphan then, I'm afraid."

Kat gasped. "What?"

Lady Bri shrugged. "A tunnel within the mine where Michael worked collapsed. A few of our town's menfolk perished… Michael Dawes was one of them. Happened not long after he sent Eliza off to make some money and get settled somewhere else."

Kat stared at D. D, for his part, showed no emotion. There was a long moment of silence. Then, Lady Bri sighed.

"I can direct you to their home. Michael built it himself, you know. All of his possessions—and those of Eliza's she couldn't take with her—are there. No one will mind if you take… if you take little Abby there."

She wrote some simple directions down on a scrap of paper and handed them to D. She offered a small, sad smile in Abigail's direction, and they exited the store. Kat felt as if she had tried and failed to swallow a rock that was now lodged in her throat. They didn't bother to mount their horses, instead leading them slowly through the town's dusty streets until they reached a small plot of land, with a single log cabin upon it. In the distance, they could easily see the entrance of the mines, and Kat frowned in its direction. D stepped to the door of the cabin and tried the doorknob. After a moment, and a hard twist, the door opened. D entered, and Kat followed after, holding Abigail close.

The home was small, but well-built. It had only three separate rooms from the one they stepped into—two bedrooms and a bathroom. The room they were in served as a common room and a kitchen/dining area. It was quaint and cozy, and all of Eliza and Michael's worldly possessions were still sitting around, as if they had just stepped out. Only a thin layer of dust betrayed the passage of time. D took a few careful steps inside, and Abigail cooed and laughed. Kat felt as if she might dissolve into tears at any moment.

"Now what?" that weird voice asked.

Kat had long since stopped trying to make sense of it. Now, she resolved to act as if there were three, grown, people in the vicinity.

"We came to do a job and get paid. And now, like I said would happen, there's no payment. So… what are you doing to do, dhampire?" the weird voice continued.

Kat turned to face D, whose face was its usual impassive state, like a statue carved from pure marble. Abigail grasped onto Kat, bouncing a bit in the woman's hold.

"We'll have to leave the child with the town's orphanage," he said, his eyes turned away from Kat and Abigail.

Kat felt her hair stand on end. She shifted Abigail to her left hip and took a single step toward the hunter, whose back was fully to her now.

"Like hell you will! Look, I know my town was pretty nice by comparison to others. I mean, yeah, the vigilante squad were a bunch of sticklers, but they weren't abusive of their power. My mistake was mine. But the one thing that's been pretty universal between all these towns? The damn orphanages! There's no way of knowing what monster will take her from there… or what monsters run the place! Sex slavery, child labor… and that's the lighter stuff! Look, when my parents died, I was lucky. My brother was willing to have me, to save me from those places, because let me tell you… those damn lechers were already sniffing around me. I remember one of the administrators from our orphanage telling me that my red hair would 'get me a lot of real good attention.' We _know_ this kid, D. We've traveled with her. She _knows_ us. We can't do that to her."

D, still without turning, responded, "My life is too dangerous for a child. You've seen what's happened in just a matter of days."

Kat pursed her lips, turning her head to stare at the child. Abigail grinned up at her. Kat felt like she lost her breath for a moment. Then, she whipped her head around.

"Then I'll keep her!"

"What?" squawked the weird voice.

"I'll keep her! Look, I know enough about kids to keep her clean, fed, and alive. I mean, I've got no cash… but I can work! I'll find work. But I'm not going to let this little girl suffer just because fate is a giant jackass."

At this, the dhampire turned. Kat was taken aback to see a bright smile on his face, and she was sure she wasn't going to be breathing again anytime soon. It was both unsettling to see him smile, at the same time as it was the most beautiful thing Kat had ever seen.

"No gambling?" he asked.

She shook her head. "No. Look, I never figured myself for motherhood… maybe I'll suck at it. But I've gone my whole life with people to look out for me. Maybe that was so… maybe so I could take a turn looking out for someone else who needs it."

D nodded once, the smile fading away. "You've found your path."

He moved over to the small dining table between the kitchen and the common room and pulled a small sack from his belt.

"You've got to be freakin' kidding me," the weird voice muttered as D set the whole sack down—the sound of several coins jingling inside.

Kat's eyes widened. She had only ever seen the dhampire use gold coins. He turned back to her.

"Use it to get started, but carefully. Guard yourself and this. And talk to the general store owner… I feel like that may come of something."

He moved past her, heading for the door. Kat called to him.

"D!" she said. He paused, and she added, "Thank you."

He gave no reaction, simply exiting the house—her and Abigail's home.

#

"You're as nutty as they come, dhampire, you know that?" Left Hand said as D mounted his black stallion. "This must be the only damn job where we paid someone else for us to complete it! What's gotten into you?"

D dug his heels into his horse, putting the animal at a little over a trot. "Sometimes, all we need is kindness. We forget that, from time to time."

"No, I don't buy it. What's this really about?" Left Hand fell silent for a moment—truly a miracle—before making a _tsk_ing noise. "I don't believe it. This is about _her_, isn't it? It's about Min—"

He gripped his reins, cutting off the name Left Hand was about to speak. When he relaxed his hold, he was already exiting the town. Left Hand chuckled.

"You think if someone had done something like _that_ for you, then—"

"Then it might have been different," D finished.

Left Hand sighed. "Well, as it stands, we're _thousands_ of dollars in gold coins short now! Hope your sense of paying forward is done. Because that shit is expensive."

D couldn't help it. He smiled.

_fin_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's all she wrote! If you've made it this far, thanks! Go see out my artist and give her some love--she writes too, and she's amazing at it. I have other Vampire Hunter D stories over on fanfiction.net that I'm thinking of transferring over. If you're interested in that, leave me a comment and let me know. Thanks for reading!


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